Mr. Ducky, the famous western idea king, has not experienced too many failures at present, exposed his true nature, and is still a responsible, responsible, and charismatic leader.

Although the Van der Linde gang led by him was a bandit, they never attacked civilians and did not kill innocents indiscriminately, but often robbed the rich and helped the poor. As a result, he was deeply embraced by gang members from the bottom of the family, especially Arthur, who trusted him almost unconditionally.

When he heard that a group of nobles wanted to come to the camp for the night, Ducky agreed without much thought.

In his words: Our gang should also know a guy who has money and connections, maybe one day, this guy can show us a way to make a lot of money.

The rest of the Fan Gang members were also okay, because they had never seen a nobleman before, and they were curious about what a nobleman was like.

But no one expected that Hosea, who has always been kind to others, was uncharacteristic and strongly opposed to the entry of Leon's family into the camp.

This kind of behavior successfully exposed a character flaw in Ducky: being arbitrary.

He will never allow his subordinates to question his opinions and decisions, and he may consult privately, but not openly oppose them.

"What are you afraid of, Hosea? They only have two men, and we have a dozen gunmen, dozens of guns! ”

As soon as the words fell, after just joining the gang for half a year, McCabell who was good at sneaking around and shooting horses immediately echoed: "What Ducky said is right! What is there to be afraid of, I don't need other brothers to take action, I can solve them all by myself! ”

Hearing this, Daqi threw an appreciative look at the loyal little brother.

No one was listening, including Arthur.

The latter felt that Leon should be a very kind young man, and that he would only stay for one night, and there would be no problems.

So it didn't take long for the huge black carriage to slowly drive into the Horseshoe Lookout camp.

A few tents, a few wagons, a lot of luggage and daily necessities that have not yet had time to be sorted are all there is to the camp, and most of the Fan Gang members do not even have a bed, so they can only sleep on the ground.

However, everyone's mental state is very good, and there are no negative emotions because of the temporary difficulties, because they firmly believe that the gang will move towards a better future under the leadership of Daqi.

Leon's eyes swept over the faces of each Fan Gang member, but they didn't stay long.

The current stage is the most united and cohesive period for the Van der Linde gang, after which it will go from prosperity to decline and completely come to an end.

It is also a microcosm of the countless gangs and illegal groups in the American West at the end of the 19th century.

When Leon was observing the members of the Fan Gang, the other party was also observing him.

The attention of the male members was basically on Leon's proper clothes and the carriage under him, and they all speculated about how much these things would be worth, and the female members paid more attention to his face.

No one doesn't like hot guys, not even in the Wild West, it's genetically determined.

The Tyke's carriage was eventually arranged in an open space on the right side of the camp, not far from Arthur's tent, and Bayek secured the carriage and freed Torret from the reins.

Li Ang walked straight to Fan Gang and the others.

"Look, he's coming!" The ladies began to tidy up, not wanting to lose face in front of outsiders.

And Daqi sighed that Li Ang's extraordinary bearing was at the same time, and he took the lead: "Welcome, distinguished sir, I didn't expect that my sparrow's nest could also attract golden peacocks." ”

Leon pretended to know him for the first time, laughed and said, "This is Mr. Ducky, I should thank you and your men for taking in our family for kindness." ”

The sedan chair was carried by everyone, and he gave Daqi enough face, and Daqi naturally did not hesitate to show his kindness, and for a while, the camp of the horseshoe lookout was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

After the initial establishment of a good relationship, Ducky instructed, "Arthur and Maika, go and help Mr. Leon settle down, and then invite him to my place for dinner." ”

Although the Idea King has a good face, he is not a fool, and he says that he is not worried about what storm Li Ang can make, but in fact he sent two trusted subordinates to monitor Li Ang.

Arthur and McCa gladly agreed.

The three of them returned to the carriage park, and the nimble Bayek had already packed everything, and Torret had eaten his favorite dried Roa fruit.

In fact, there was nothing to pack, and the important items were greatly blessed, only a few chairs and a table were moved, and a carpet was laid out in front of the carriage door.

Seeing this, Maika whispered to her companion: "That carpet can be sold for at least a hundred, and it is actually spread on the ground like this, it is really rich!" ”

Arthur didn't speak, because he had always disliked this beastly and bottomless outlaw.

And McKa, who had a hot face and a cold ass, didn't care.

He's not a dollar, he can't be liked by everyone, and he doesn't need anyone else to like him, he just needs to remember who has an enmity with him.

Leon hears Maika's whisper, but ignores it.

"Two, sit down and have a hot coffee."

Arthur wanted to refuse, he was here to help, not to rest.

As a result, McAqiang pulled him to the table and sat down, there was a free bargain, why not take advantage of it.

Bayek poured them two cups of freshly brewed coffee, along with two snacks.

Li Ang said at this time: "I'll pick up the ladies and them, and entertain them." ”

Bayek nodded, and watched him get into the carriage.

Maika sipped his hot coffee and whispered, "Do you hear that, there's a woman?" ”

Arthur had known for a long time, not only did he know, but he had also seen one of them: "Don't talk and don't get Ducky in trouble." ”

Maika pouted, but didn't say anything more disagreeable.

The conversation between the members of the Fan gang thought it was hidden, but in fact it fell into Bayek's ears word for word, and he looked at the two of them deeply, not knowing what was going on in his head.

Half a minute later, the carriage door opened.

Leon came out first, followed by Archyna, who was dressed in a black dress as usual, and three young ladies who were also dressed in sunhats.

Although before leaving, Madame reluctantly accepted the advice and disguised part of her height, but still kept it at about two meters, because she couldn't accept that she was shorter than Li Ang, which was the bottom line.

Although the three young ladies are not as exaggerated as their mothers, they are tall enough, and each of them has a face that captivates the country and the city.

So this scene directly stunned the two Fan Gang members.

Maika stared at Archyna even more intently, and the coffee spilled on her clothes did not react.

"What a great lady!"

As soon as these words came out, the eyes of Li Ang's whole family instantly fell on him.

Arthur secretly said that it was not good, Maika had suffered big losses many times before because of his open-mouthedness, but he didn't expect that he would still be dead now.

Before he could do anything, Bayek had already walked over.

Grabbed Maika by the back collar and dragged him off the stool, followed by a hammer-like fist that kept slamming into his face.

The outlaw tried to pull out his gun at first, but after a few punches, it turned into a wail for mercy.

Arthur didn't like McCa, a rotten man, but he was a member of the gang after all, and it was impossible to watch him be beaten to death, so he pulled out a gun and put it in the back of Bayek's head.

"Stop, or I'm welcome."

Bayek turned a deaf ear and continued to beat Maika, who was pressing down on him.

The pig-killing howl soon attracted the rest of the Fan Gang in the camp, and many of them couldn't help but gloat at the sight of Maika's tragic situation.

It's not just Arthur, but few people in the gang like him.

Because they didn't use their guns, everyone's reaction was normal, and in today's era, fights between men are common, and not daring to stretch out their fists is a sign of cowardice.

Ducky, who was holding a cigar, was late, he separated the crowd, came to the place of the incident, saw the situation clearly, crossed his waist and scolded: "Who can tell me what happened? ”

Leon waved his hand, and Bayek immediately stood up and stepped aside.

Maika, whose face was covered in blood, was lying on the ground grunting, and a few rotten teeth were scattered around his head.

Daqi saw that Li Ang's side was fearless, and his face darkened: "Arthur, tell me what's going on!" ”

Arthur explained, "Maika's mouth is in trouble again. ”

The members of the Fan Gang suddenly showed expressions that were really like this.

Normally, Maika would only use his sycophancy on Dutchy, and he had made openly racist remarks on more than one occasion in the face of the rest of the multi-ethnic group.

When Daqi heard that this was the reason, his face was a little unbearable.

He knew very well the temper of his little brother, and since Arthur said so, it must be true.

But then again, it's up to the owner to beat the dog.

The younger brother is bullied, and the eldest brother can't sit idly by, otherwise he won't be able to convince the public.

However, just as Ducky was about to go berserk, Bayek, at Leon's behest, took out a gold bar weighing at least a pound and smashed it in Maika's face.

"My master will compensate you for your medical expenses, and by the way, you will go to fill your teeth."

There was a muffled bang, and the bridge of McCar's already shaky nose was completely crooked to the side, and the person fainted in pain.

In 1899, the United States was still on the gold standard, with the dollar pegged to gold, with an ounce worth about $20 and 500 grams of gold worth $340.

It may not seem like much, but at that time, a high-level skilled worker was only earning about $2.5 a day.

$50 is enough to buy several lives.

Even if Maika was a notorious bandit and was officially registered in the United States, he was nowhere near worth the price of a gold bar.

So for the sake of money, Ducky decided to put up with it.

"Arthur, get the gold back. Then a few more men carried Maika into his tent, Hosea, and give him some medicine, and he would not die. ”

As soon as everyone heard that Maika had made money for the gang, their mocking eyes eased a lot in an instant, and they wished that he would be beaten again.

"Hurry up, come and help, Maika, you can't die!"

Several members of the Fan Gang carried the unconscious outlaws away, and some carefully buried the blood on the ground.

didn't bustle to watch, and the others slowly dispersed.

Ducky and Arthur stayed.

The former sat down where Maika had been, picked up the half-baked snack on the table and ate it.

While eating, he said: "Don't think that if you take the money, this matter is over, dare to provoke the Van der Linde gang, so far no one has been able to get out of the way." ”

Archina, who was taking her daughters to look at the scenery, sneered disdainfully when she heard this:

"The noisy inferior people disturbed me and my daughters' Yaxing."

This is the character that Achena set for herself before the trip, a ruthless and unreasonable countess.

In addition, she was not a good person in the first place.

If it weren't for the sake of accommodating Leon, when Maika said that, the entire Van der Linde Gang would have to die with him.

"Fix things as soon as possible, staying with these stinky fish and shrimp will make me feel sick."

With that, Achyna returned to the carriage with the three young ladies.

Madame's delicate and domineering attitude made Ducky's face turn pale, but fortunately, there was no one else around except Arthur, which made him feel a little better.

Li Ang looked at the angry Idea King with a smile: "I'm very sorry, I originally wanted to make friends with you, but now it seems that my wife doesn't like you." ”

"That gold bar is enough to compensate you for all your losses, don't take an inch."

"Okay, I won't disturb the peace of your gang here, I hope to see you again in the future."

As he spoke, Bayek had begun to pack up his things, including the chair under Ducky's buttocks, and the table in front of him.

"Want to go? Dream on! Ducky was caught off guard and pulled out the twin guns hanging from his waist.

One shot was aimed at Bayek, who had come to collect the table and chairs, and the other shot was aimed at Leon, who was a few meters away.

Arthur also aimed his gun at Leon's head.

In fact, he didn't think that the young man in front of him had done anything wrong, and he could only blame the lady for being too blind.

Therefore, it is very important to look at people's eyes, and once you follow the wrong person, this life is over.

So thought the number one hitter.

"Hand over all the money, and the women in the car, give it to me too!" Ducky threatened.

Li Ang Mo held the Dark Moon Ring on his ring finger and sighed:

"It's ugly, Ducky."

In the next second, Bayek, who seemed harmless to humans and animals, suddenly burst out and twisted the two guns that had accompanied the Pip King for many years into scrap metal.

Arthur next to him reacted quickly, but no matter how fast it was, he couldn't get a teardrop, and he was smashed in the face with an iron fist.

At this moment, he finally realized what kind of pain Maika had just experienced.

This punch hurts even if you get shot.

Immediately afterward, Ducky, who had finally recovered from his horror, suffered the same treatment as Arthur before he could resist.

The two brothers both fell to the ground, their eyes full of stars, and they almost fainted.

In a daze, Arthur saw a tall figure approaching and finally placing a large snack box near him.

"I noticed you didn't eat that snack and want to keep it for someone else?"

"You're welcome."

The tall figure departed, and a short time later, the black carriage drove past Arthur's eyes and faded into the twilight.

In the Van der Linde gang, there is a 4-year-old boy named Jack Marston, who is the child of gang members John Marston and Abigail Roberts, and the only child in the gang.

In a way, this kid pinned the hopes of the whole gang, and everyone doted on him.

Arthur didn't eat the snack and just wanted to keep it for Jack.

After about ten minutes, the brothers finally came to their senses.

Dutsy sat up from the ground abruptly, gasping for air like a nightmare, half of his face swollen like a peach.

Arthur didn't give in, but it was the other half of his face that was swollen.

Spit a mouthful of bloody spit on the ground, with half a broken tooth inside.

But the strange thing is that he can't hate Li Ang at all.

Ducky was completely different, he was about to explode, brandishing two twisted revolvers, shouting, "Go gather men, I'm going to let them die!" ”

Arthur discovered the blind spot at this time: "How long have we been unconscious, why haven't we been noticed?" ”

Ducky was suddenly stunned and felt afraid.

After a few more minutes, the entire gang gathered in the middle of the camp, except for Maika and Charles.

Everyone said that they had heard and seen nothing just now, and they had even forgotten the existence of Arthur and Dutch.

"Everybody has to forget about today, don't you hear?" Ducky snapped a warning.

It's just that because of the injury to his face, his speech is a little slurred.

The military advisor said worriedly: "I warned you before, don't get involved with those people. ”

Ducky immediately retorted angrily, "Everyone will make some mistake in this life, Hosea, everyone! ”

"But I brought everyone together, so that everyone survived, so that everyone escaped hanging!"

Hosea didn't want to clash with the leader who had lost his mind, and his tone softened: "I only. . . I'm just too worried. I don't have a few years to live, Ducky. I just hope that before I die, everyone will have a good life. ”

Dutch held his cigar in his hand and nodded in his heart: "Me too." ”

"I understand your thoughts, brother, but we are safe now, we need to get some money here first, and then we can continue to set off, avoid those government dogs, go further west on the mainland, buy a few plots of land there, and finally live the life we want."

Dutch pulled out the blood-stained gold bar from his bosom: "We've managed to earn our first pot of gold, it's a good start, isn't it?" ”

Albeit at the cost of a member seriously injured and near-dead.

"I hope so." Hosea gave up the idea of arguing with him completely.

Daqi, who won the victory, knocked on the table in front of him with a gold bar: "Everyone, please look at me. ”

"I know it's been a hard time lately, and while we're safe enough, we don't have a few dollars left, so it's time to get to work!"

Hosea added, "Work, but don't get into trouble." ”

"Remember, we were vagrant workers, and we were fired because of the closure of the factories in the north, and we never heard of the Van der Linde Gang."

Daqi added: "Starting tomorrow, everyone will go outside to look for opportunities to make money. ”

Hosea pointed to the north of the camp: "Going down the railroad tracks, there is a place called Valentine, which is a small town where livestock are sold. If I'm not mistaken, it's full of cow dung and idiots, and sounds like a good place to start. ”

The leader and the military advisor, two old friends for decades, cooperated tacitly, and re-energized the somewhat depressed momentum of the gang members as soon as they sang and harmonized.

The only fly in the ointment is that Ducky is holding a swollen pig's head, which looks somewhat funny.

Fortunately, with Arthur by his side, he was not too lonely.

At this moment, Charles, who was in charge of scouting, returned.

He is of mixed Indian and black descent, adept at hunting, stealth, and hand-to-hand combat, often acting as a scout in the gang.

Now, Charles has brought back not so good news for the gang.

"The carriage. Went in the direction of Valentine. ”

There was an eerie silence in the camp suddenly, and Daqi, who was still frowning just now, silently put away the gold bar in his hand.

"Is there any other place to camp besides Horseshoe Look?" He asked.

As the person most familiar with this area, Hosea pondered for a moment and said, "To the south, in the town of Rhodes, there should be a suitable place to camp nearby, but it is more chaotic over there. ”

Running away from the gray has never been Ducky's character, but who let them run into someone they can't mess with.

Well. It may not even be human.

"That Us"

When Ducky hesitated, Arthur, who had always been silent, spoke: "Maybe I have a way to let everyone enter Valentine safely." ”

"What's the solution? Is it possible that you can beat it" Ducky gestured his fist: "Can you beat that guy?" ”

Arthur's face was still aching, how could he admit that he had beaten Bayek.

"No, I mean to talk to the gentleman, he seems to be easier to talk to, after all, he didn't kill us."

"And he told me that he would only stay in Valentine for a few days, and that he would soon be on his way to Saint-Denis."

Ducky took a sharp drag on his cigar and thought for a long time.

"If you're sure, try it, but be sure to stay safe, neither the gang nor I can do without your help."

"If it doesn't work, we'll stay in the camp for a few more days until he leaves."

Arthur nodded: "I'll go to Valentine early tomorrow morning." ”

Charles, who had a good relationship with him, patted him on the shoulder: "I'll be with you." ”

Arthur didn't refuse, but just said, "Thanks, brother." ”

Hosea was still a little uneasy, and said, "Javier should go with him, multiple people and multiple helpers." ”

Javier Escuella, a Mexican, was once a well-known bounty hunter and revolutionary in the region, and fled to the United States after being wanted, where he joined the Van der Linde gang because he shared Ducky's idea of helping the weak.

"Okay." Javier, with his mustache, didn't react positively, but he was definitely a trustworthy helper.

After the things were arranged, the members gradually dispersed, some went to prepare dinner, and some tidied up the camp, each performing their duties in an orderly manner.

Ducky and Hosea entered the tent, not knowing what they were discussing.

Arthur took advantage of this time to distribute the snacks left by Leon to everyone, and even the unconscious Maika was not left behind.

The bad impression of the members of the Fan Gang on the Leon family was entirely based on Daqi's verbal description, and no one had ever seen what happened at that time. So when you finish the delicious dim sum, that bad impression is basically gone.

Several young ladies even directly stated that they planned to go to town with Arthur tomorrow.

It's not that they want to go to Leon, but they can't wait to return to civilization after months of isolation in the snowy mountains, and by the way, they can see if they can find a suitable job.

Arthur said he would think again.

In the meantime, on the way to Valentine.

Puzzled, Bayek asked his master why he had come into contact with the Van der Linde gang and deliberately provoked a conflict before simply disposing of them.

Li Ang explained, because all the members of the Fan Gang are talents.

The 'talent' here is not derogatory, he really admires these people, who are affectionate and righteous, and have unique skills.

Except, of course, the McDog.

If Li Ang wanted to control the Great Dead Guard World and get the resources of this world, it would definitely not be enough to rely on Han Sen and the Ghost Dog's hundred or so people, so he had to form a new team. Arthur's gang was a good fit, but they just had to find a way to get them out from under the Idea King.

Since Arthur and the others are really loyal to Dutchy, they have to use some unconventional means.

Just as he was thinking, Bayek opened his mouth and disrupted Leon's thoughts.

"It's still some distance to Valentine, do you want to go back to the Great Blessing and rest for a while?"

Li Ang's expression was full of resistance: "If you don't go back, you won't go back if you are killed." ”

Who is in the Great Blessing now? The mother and daughter of the Ti family and Melina, neither of them are fuel-efficient lamps.

When he goes back now, he is seeking his own death, digging his own grave, bringing about his own destruction, and making himself unhappy.

(End of chapter)